Educating people and politicians about who controls public libraries. Citizens should, not the American Library Association. If your local library is applying ALA policy instead of local law/policy, learn what can be done to reverse that.

Friday, July 5, 2013

President Obama still from video
displayed at ALA conference,
photo credit ALA.

Wanted: video of President Obama telling librarians to promote Obamacare. Somebody must have recorded that video on an iPhone or something. Please send me the recording for publication in the interests of equal access and free speech.

Despite the American Library Association's [ALA] support for equal access and free speech, ALA agreed to allow the President to make a video statement to hundreds of librarians at the annual ALA convention, then to never display nor distribute it ever again. Some librarians bristle at this and related ALA problems with mishandling the message; it seems Lenny Kravitz also recorded a message for such librarians, as explained below.

Libraries and Communities Are Refusing to Follow ALA Diktat on Obamacare

With coverage only SafeLibraries can provide, here is a revealing behind-the-scenes conversation amongst librarians about the new Obamacare directive to librarians and ALA's responses. Librarians from across the USA are not at all happy. Watch how the ALA "Press Officer" is forced to changed her message to add that libraries need not take part in ALA's efforts to assist in the promotion of Obamacare:

Just to be clear, the "partnership" between IMLS and the Center for Medicare Services was created only so that the government agency could provide informational resources specifically tailored to libraries—libraries are not forced into a commitment or obligation of any kind. ALA is only providing information to help libraries prepare to answer questions that their patrons may have. ALA is providing resources on the health law so that libraries can fulfill their mission to make information available to their patrons. We are working with the agency to provide free resources so that librarians would not be caught off guard by patron questions. Again, we are only providing information.

My favorite quote: "ALA doesn't speak for all libraries, but the politicians believe they do." There are other money quotes as well. Speaking of the "digital divide," ALA says, "The session was recorded and will be available for sale soon." So much for free speech and equal access!

And now, read the inside truth for yourselves, in chronological order, followed by links to many related stories and more:

NEBRASKA LIBRARIAN
2 JUL 2013 1:37 PM

I wanted to attend the ALA session (http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2013/06/libraries-health-insurance-preparing-october-1) “Libraries & Health Insurance: Preparing for October 1,” from 1 - 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 30, but I had a conflict. Since this effort provides a great opportunity for libraries—and maybe a bit of a challenge for our communication efforts—I'm hoping that someone on this list attended the session and would be willing to share the information? We really want to get out ahead on this one and as you can see (http://bigstory.ap.org/article/apnewsbreak-librarians-help-health-law), people are already talking about whether this is an appropriate role for libraries, etc. Please share with this list if you have any information, marketing materials, etc….thanksILLINOIS LIBRARIAN
2 JUL 2013 2:50 PM

I second [NEBRASKA LIBRARIAN]'s request. We're already getting calls from local media about what we're going to be doing, as a result of the ALA news release, and don't have a plan in place yet. Illinois is one of the states that will be expanding Medicaid, but we don't know yet what the insurance exchanges will look like or what kind of assistance we'll be providing, beyond computer access. Anyone who has dealt with the public knows the process is going to be more complicated than that.

In my opinion only, ALA jumped the gun by releasing a blanket statement before libraries had the pieces in place - or had a chance to see whatever this training is going to be.
NEW HAMPSHIRE LIBRARIAN
2 JUL 2013 2:53 PM

I read the other day that Obama administration officials were meeting with state librarians on this. Although the article didn't specify, I suspected they were meeting at ALA over the weekend. Perhaps state librarians will be distributing more information?
ALA PRESS OFFICER JAZZY WRIGHT
2 JUL 2013 3:14 PM

Hello everyone,

I want to apologize for the confusion. The partnership between IMLS and the Center for Medicaid Services means that both groups will work in the next coming months to prepare librarians for the number of patrons who will need help enrolling in the Affordable Care Act. ALA is only providing resources on the health law so that libraries can fulfill their mission to make information available to their patrons.

Many of you have attended the ALA Conference “Libraries and Health Insurance: Preparing for Oct 1” on Sunday. The session was recorded and will be available for sale soon. We're sending updates to all of our ALA Washington Office subscribers: http://capwiz.com/ala/mlm/signup/ You can also get Washington Office news at www.districtdispatch.org.

Additionally, IMLS announced that they will work with Webjunction to host online educational seminars about the new health enrollment requirements (see this press release
http://www.imls.gov/imls_and_centers_for_medicare_and_medicaid_services_to_partner_with_libraries.aspx).

I believe that since ALA made this decision to be a part of this initiative on behalf of the public libraries in the U.S – without our knowledge or consent- that this conference should be available for download to libraries WITHOUT cost.—At the very least ALA members should be able to have access without cost.

I understand the value that libraries can contribute to this process and look forward to being able to offer this assistance to my community. However, there will be considerable expense in staff training and staff hours of assistance to the public. We need to have all the resources we can in preparing for this initiative.
NEW YORK LIBRARIAN
2 JUL 2013 9:36 PM

For those of us who were able to attend ALA and have already paid, I would hope we are not going to be charged for this as you note below. In fact I do not think any library should be charged for something as important as this piece of information. At a time when we are in survival mode and needing to justify to those who are controlling our budgets, that libraries still are relevant, this could be the perfect tool to do so. I think it would also strengthen ALA's position in general and the value of being a member that you can provide us with critical information our communities need. Those with dwindling staff do not have time to do some of this, but your assistance in putting our best foot forward in our communities would be a great help. This topic will be getting tremendous attention in the press and will affect many Americans. We should be out front at the leaders and source of information.

Please do not charge!
ALABAMA LIBRARIAN
2 JUL 2013 10:10 PM

IMO

One of the prime issues is that no press release should have been sent out until all state agencies had an opportunity to discuss this with its libraries. We are now in a situation of appearing uninformed (which most of us are) and out of touch. As we argue that libraries and librarians are relevant in this age of information over load this PR puts us in the "clueless" column.

My husband saw the news story this evening. I haven't even returned home and had a chance to talk to my staff yet about the little information I have.
WISCONSIN LIBRARIAN
3 JUL 2013 1:09 PM

I highly doubt that ALA will provide this for free. And certainly not free to non-members. ALA doesn't speak for all libraries, but the politicians believe they do. Our library will certainly help people find their way with this. However, ALA is brokering these partnerships, committing us to additional programs but NOT fighting for financial aid to do them.
ALA PRESS OFFICER JAZZY WRIGHT
3 JUL 2013 2:10 PM

Hello,

Thank you all for expressing your concerns. Resources on the Affordable Care Act will be provided by OCLC’s Webjunction at no cost to members and non-members (everyone). IMLS has awarded $286,104 to OCLC to support the effort—learn more about the grant to Webjunction: http://www.oclc.org/en-US/news/releases/2013/201337dublin.html.

We are working with every government agency to look for resources that can prepare libraries for the health enrollment changes to come. Look for an update from the ALA Washington Office with more information soon. And again, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to give me at a call at (202) 628-8410, ext. 8208.

Thank you for expressing your concerns. Resources on the Affordable Care Act will be provided by OCLC’s Webjunction at no cost to members and non-members (everyone). IMLS has awarded $286,104 to OCLC to support the effort—learn more about the grant to Webjunction: http://www.oclc.org/en-US/news/releases/2013/201337dublin.html.

Just to be clear, the “partnership” between IMLS and the Center for Medicare Services was created only so that the government agency could provide informational resources specifically tailored to libraries—libraries are not forced into a commitment or obligation of any kind. ALA is only providing information to help libraries prepare to answer questions that their patrons may have. ALA is providing resources on the health law so that libraries can fulfill their mission to make information available to their patrons. We are working with the agency to provide free resources so that librarians would not be caught off guard by patron questions. Again, we are only providing information.

We are working with every government agency to look for resources that can prepare libraries for the health enrollment changes to come. Look for an update from the ALA Washington Office with more information soon. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give me at a call at (202) 628-8410, ext. 8208.

[In response to ALABAMA LIBRARIAN who said, "One of the prime issues is that no press release should have been sent out until all state agencies had an opportunity to discuss this with its libraries. We are now in a situation of appearing uninformed (which most of us are) and out of touch. As we argue that libraries and librarians are relevant in this age of information over load this PR puts us in the 'clueless' column."]

Stories Related to ALA's Obamacare Push

For stories related to this issue, see, in reverse chronological order:

According to a Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library representative, the Montgomery County Library and Information Network Consortium will not participate in the new partnership between the American Library Association and the White House, which will promote ObamaCare.

During a recent municipal presentation, Perkiomen Township Commissioner Richard Kratz questioned Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library Executive Director Kathleen Arnold-Yerger about the recently announced campaign, in which 17,000 U.S. libraries will help to spread the word about the new health care law, and will give the public access to computers to sign up.

Arnold-Yerger said she was “shocked” when she heard about the partnership.

“I thought, ‘Gee, they think libraries are going to put the few computers that we have aside for people to sign up for health care?’ ” Arnold-Yerger said.

According to the Obama administration, libraries are a great place to learn about the new healthcare system before its October kick-off, when Americans can start shopping for insurance online.

"Libraries are a tremendous resource for people in their communities," U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokeswoman Julie Bataille said, according to Fox News. "They're already a destination many individuals go to when they're seeking out information and understanding on a variety of issues."

However, library employees have to be very careful when it comes to asking questions from customers, according Arnold-Yerger.

“When people come in with health questions and legal questions, we, as a profession, have to be very careful has [sic] we respond to them,” Arnold-Yerger said. “We will send them to the law library, to medical sites, but we have to be careful that we do not push people either way.”

I think it's a great idea – but the last time I checked many libraries had a 30-minue time limit on computers, which is often enforced strictly because of the waiting list to use computers. Also many libraries are closed on Sundays and other odd hours. To really position the libraries and librarians to support the effort, I think it might be time to invest in computers, broadband and hours for the libraries!

Let's recap things: Despite a lack of funding, public libraries are being asked to deploy their resources to help educate and enroll people in the president's health care law – and this may actually be a violation of the Library Bill of Rights.

Chicago, IL— During the annual meeting of the American Library Association, The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), together with representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), met with library representatives on Sunday, June 30, to hear more about what librarians can do to get ready to respond to patron requests for assistance in navigating new health insurance options in the Health Insurance Marketplace.

"We applaud the CMS for recognizing the role that libraries play in connecting patrons with government agencies," said Maureen Sullivan, president of the American Library Association. "Our libraries look forward to guiding Americans navigate through the new health marketplace."

So the public library – the institution whose foundational principles are the preservation of intellectual freedom and the unbiased promotion of learning – will become politicized to advance the Obama administration’s agenda.

This agreement between the ALA and the Department of Health and Human Services violates the so-called “Library Bill of Rights,” which declares that “libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues” and that “materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” The partnership essentially dictates that librarians blindly lead those seeking healthcare to the welfare fountain and encourage them to drink – no matter the consequences, and no matter the myriad of concerns raised about the program. “All points of view” about the Affordable Care Act will not be represented; the proscribed materials (HealthCare.gov, marketplace.cms.gov, etc.) will clearly not offer true “health care literacy.”

As if the corruption of the library’s time-honored purpose is not enough, the institution won’t even receive a reward for its self-betrayal. Susan Hildreth, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, has stated that “there are no federal funds to support this program.” As libraries already face devastating budget cuts and declines in funding, the initiative to serve as Obamacare’s cheerleader in communities could spell disaster. In addition to spending money to train librarians in their new capacity as healthcare experts, the alliance could alienate patrons who disapprove of the healthcare legislation and cause them to reconsider much-needed donations to their local library as it converts into something like “Obamacare Enrollment Station #1234.”

Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Susan Hildreth emphasized that “there are no federal funds to support this program,” which could be a hardship for libraries that are already overwhelmed by shrinking budgets and increased use. She encouraged libraries to seek partnerships with other health organizations in their communities and set aside at least one or two public-access computers for the exclusive use of healthcare seekers.

A special video presentation by President Barack Obama encouraging librarians to help disseminate information about new health care insurance options under the Affordable Care Act opened the Council I session.

Exit question: If government workers of any and every stripe are really just a free-floating labor force for the feds, ready to be enlisted for whatever policy priority the ruling administration has in mind, how come librarians and mailmen haven’t been coopted to coordinate jobs programs for the unemployed?

Is your library prepared to deal with the rush of patrons who will need help filling out Affordable Care Act health form applications this year? In October, library patrons will stream into libraries to learn about new insurance requirements and options available. Libraries will need to know about the resources that will help library patrons. Learn how to serve patrons on the new health program in this new session. Speakers include Jackie Garner Medicaid consortium administrator; Susan Hildreth, director of Institute of Museum and Library Services; Ruth Holst, associate director at the National Network of Library of Medicine Greater Midwest Regional Medical Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Kendra Morgan, senior program manager, OCLC Webjunction.

With healthcare costs eating up chunks of shrinking library budgets across the country, the ALA Council during its last meeting in Chicago overwhelmingly passed a resolution supporting affordable, universal healthcare, including the option of a single-payer healthcare program. This is essentially a reaffirmation of a resolution adopted by ALA in June 2006. ALA policy states that "ALA recognizes the importance of comprehensive healthcare for all Americans and its impact on libraries and their users." ALA joined the Universal Health Care Action Network in 2005 and the following year endorsed "expanded Medicare for all," calling for a single-payer, universal healthcare program. Citing the rising cost of providing health insurance and the burden it places on state and local governments, the Council noted that it has become increasingly difficult for them to adequately fund libraries and schools. The Council document notes that 46 million people in the United States have no health insurance. "Without good health, humankind cannot truly exercise intellectual freedom and civic engagement.

Lenny Kravitz's Message to Librarians?

All this reminds me of a Lenny Kravitz song librarians must be thinking to themselves:

"What The Fuck Are We Saying"

Will we ever understand?

Or is the fate of man at hands ?

Will we live or shall we die?

How will we ever know if we never try?

The government's the devil's hands

It's a lie and it's a scam

They wind us up, put us down, and watch us go

And if you close your eyes

There's a big surprise

What the fuck are we saying?

Do we feel what we dream about?

We've got to keep on praying

And one day we'll see the light

I've been lost in the name of love

And we kill our brothers daily in the name of God

We'd better chill before we take on some tribulation

And if we realized

Then we'd make a little love now sing

What the fuck are we saying?

Do we believe what we read about?

We've got to keep on praying

And one day we'll see the light

And one day we'll see the light

And one day we'll see the light

And one day we'll see the light

What the fuck are we saying?

Do we believe what we dream about?

We've got to keep on praying

And one day we'll see the light

And one day we'll see the light

And one day we'll see the light

And one day we'll see the light

ALA Is Experienced At Pushing Libraries to Promote Political Agenda

By the way, ALA was already using all American libraries as distribution points for "news" from someone who gives ALA millions to promote his own anti-American propaganda while hiding behind a pretty librarian's face:

Librarians seem to be "all in" with the White House agenda: a dangerous marriage.

If librarians are advocates, what assurance do we have that they won't block access to information — such as another "despicable" study from the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute or my own institution — critical of the health care act?

"Decisions about how libraries will respond to inquiries about the ACA will be made by local libraries. As always, libraries do not promote specific programs or points of view, but provide the public with balanced, unbiased access to information."

"Dallas Librarians Study Up On Health Law," by Lauren Silverman, Texas News, 12 July 2013 (hyperlinks in original) (Note the included attractive photo is from Shutterstock, so it is not from the library, not news, and it has nothing to do with the photo's caption):

At the annual American Library Association conference, on June 26th, President Obama challenged librarians to be on the front line of providing information about the Affordable Care Act. Up to 17,000 U.S. libraries will be part of the effort -- including Dallas Public Library.

Jasmine Africawala, Dallas Public Library's Community Engagement Administrator, attended the conference. She says in September, staff will "be trained on what the Affordable Care Act means and also how to guide customers to the resources they need to sign up for health care on the exchange."

Librarians are anticipating a rush among community residents looking for help applying for insurance through the exchange, said Jeremy Johannesen, executive director of the New York Library Association. But libraries are not expecting money for the efforts.

"There's a lot of instances where the libraries are called upon to serve as the information office for different government activities, and there typically isn't financial support for that role," he said.

AND LOOK, LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS TO STOP LIBRARIANS FROM PUSHING OBAMACARE:

They understand the Dewey Decimal system, so why not a massive health care overhaul?
....
The Idaho Library Association is partnering with Blue Cross of Idaho to hold trainings for librarians who might have their own questions about how to assist Idahoans. The association trained 22 librarians two weeks ago and plans to train another 22 this week.

Blue Cross will provide educational materials to libraries, including fliers and bookmarks. Later this year the association plans to hold a health literacy week for libraries statewide.

Not everyone is thrilled that librarians are hitting the frontlines on Obama’s behalf.

State Rep. Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens, pushed a bill in Idaho’s 2011 legislative session that would have essentially banned what the state’s librarians are planning. The measure, which fell victim to Gov. Butch Otter’s veto stamp, would have prevented any public workers from implementing any parts of Obamacare.

Barbieri told IdahoReporter.com Monday that he’s troubled that the librarians are taking up the health reform mantel. “Any time we use public resources for private gain, that should be a cause for concern,” Barbieri warned.

Barbieri’s miffed that Blue Cross of Idaho, which stands to gain from development of the exchange marketplace and other facets of the reform law, is asking librarians to stand in the trenches, calling it “disconcerting.”

Josh Jordan, corporate communication specialist with Blue Cross of Idaho, told IdahoReporter.com Monday that his organization simply wants an efficient avenue for informing as many Gem State residents as possible about Obamacare provisions.

“We reached out to the ILA because, with branches all over the state, libraries can reach a broad spectrum of residents across Idaho and serve as a resource to the community—providing educational resources about the ACA and access to computers to access more information and the exchange,” Jordan wrote in an email.

He promised that the materials Blue Cross will soon deliver to Idaho libraries aren’t pushing the carrier’s products and services. Yother said the agreement is merely a public service and not a maneuver to rally around specific politicians, policies or health carriers.

“For us, it’s not about politics,” Yother said. “It’s not about choosing one side or the other.”

NOTE ADDED 19 JULY 2013:

Here's ALA attempting to clarify its marching orders that I revealed above were being made and remade on the fly as a result of librarians questioning/doubting the ALA's diktat:

Of interest, only one person showed up at a public library for an ObamaCare event "convened by the president's foot soldiers," OFA, and that alone apparently made it newsworthy. Just look at the picture of that sad showing:

CENTREVILLE, Va. — A race to define Obamacare to the masses began today between the stacks at the Centreville Library. .... Dozens of communities around the country hosted pro-Obamacare events, convened by the president's foot soldiers at Organizing for Action. The series is the first salvo in what is fixing to be a month of high-stakes health care spin. ....

I really appreciate your bringing this to my attention and have taken all the steps to ensure your properly accredited to this piece...

Thank you so much for the great service your providing us, it is the only reason I do what I can to pass this information around, we have got to awaken the American people to the extent that their freedoms are being devoured...Sadly still, are those who are willingly surrendering theirs, they truly are the most dangerous to us, reprobated, they will never know nor understand until it's to late, of what they have actually released upon us...

YHVH bless and keep you informed, may he lead you to his truths in all matters...